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*December 28, 2004*
He was worried... And his anxiety was not unwarranted in any way. He had a legitimate claim for once, although he wished the opposite were true.
Adam Copeland swallowed hard, an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach as he eyed her. His wife, Amy Dumas, chattered on and on about her fellow diva friends as she moved back and forth from the hotel room bathroom and back to the main room, where she was putting her toiletries away. They'd been packing to leave, as they were moving on to the next city.
The blond man felt his heart sinking. The redhead seemed so oblivious - not only of his silence and dampened mood, but of much, much more. It tore him up inside. Their one year anniversary was a mere day away, and yet, she hadn't uttered so much as a syllable about it.
"So, Stacy is afraid she won't be able to see John on New Year's," Amy babbled on. "It's really a silly insecurity she has. Everyone knows how crazy he is about her, so there's not a chance he won't come visit her."
Adam nodded absently. He felt so very empty inside. How could his wife go on and on all this week and not mention a single word about their upcoming anniversary. He swallowed hard and glanced down at the gold wedding band on his left hand. In the last year, he'd never taken it off except for when he stepped into the wrestling ring.
"We're meeting Trish and Jay at their place on New Year's Day," the redhead reminded him, stopping in her task of loading stuff into her bag to meet his eyes. She blinked at the strange expression on his face, his silence. He looked so thoughtful and even a little upset. Quickly, she turned back to her belongings, the small smile coming to her face. She knew exactly why he looked unhappy. It made her feel somewhat bad, but it would be all right. In the long run, it would all be absolutely perfect.
The tall blond man scratched at his goatee for a moment as he kept his gaze on his wife. He decided to test her memory and see if she could sense what he was thinking. Lord knew, she knew him better than pretty much everyone except for maybe his best friend, Jay Reso. She knew him inside and out and was so good at reading him.
"Ames..."
She turned back to her husband and stood up to approach him. A small smile touched her lips as she gazed up into his handsome face with adoration. He looked so cute when he was feeling unsure and insecure. It touched her heart, and she bit her lip as she considered telling him the little secret she was keeping from him but then thought the better of it. It would all be worth it later.
"What, baby?" she asked innocently, a soft smile still gracing her lips as she reached up to trace a forefinger over his jawline. He looked so adorable, seemingly almost like a little boy lost by the look in his green eyes.
"It's just..." He shook his head, squinting as he continued. "... Isn't tomorrow some special occasion or something? I can't quite put my finger on it, but..." He shifted his gaze to hers, a questioning look gleaming within. "Maybe you can refresh my memory?"
She blinked as though in confusion as she peered up into his face.
"Um... no." She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Adam... I honestly have no idea what you're talking about." She pushed up on her toes, her arms winding around his neck to embrace him, and she smiled again as she felt his arms clasp around her waist. She relaxed against him as she pulled her head back and their lips met. He kissed her softly, nothing too passionate, just mostly tender and affectionate. She combed her fingers through his hair and tugged gently on a lock of it as she deepened the kiss, sighing in his mouth as he responded with equal fervor. However, after a long moment, he broke it and gently pulled away from her.
"I have to finish putting this stuff away," he mumbled as he turned away. "We have to go in a few minutes, anyway."
Amy watched him with a cocked head, her heart swelling for him. He really was hurting by her indifference. Aww... Yet, she couldn't completely regret her little act due to the sweetness of what would come later.
*
*The next night*
"What's with you, man?"
Adam looked up at Jay, his best friend sitting down near him in the locker room they'd shared for the night's house show. The tall blond man hadn't been himself all evening long, and he knew the short-haired man had to be wondering what was up.
He shook his head despondently, then looked back down.
"It's... it's a long story, Jay," he said sadly.
"Okay... What's bugging you so much, though? Shouldn't you be in a good mood these days?"
Adam sighed as he raised his head, one hand raking through his long blond hair. Thank goodness the show was over and they were about to leave. All he wanted to do was go back to the hotel, possibly catch a late supper with Amy. And speaking of his wife, he would definitely have to sit down and have a talk with her.
"Jay, you're married," he began, knowing how tight a relationship his best friend had with Trish Stratus. The two hadn't been married for quite as long as he and Amy had been, but they seemed to be so in synch with one another in so many ways. He'd *thought* the same rang true for himself and the redhead, but now he wasn't so sure. "Has Trish ever... forgotten certain very important things?"
Jay gave him a strange look, then cocked a brow.
"I'm not sure I'm following you," he said.
"You know," the taller man said, "like your birthday or-"
"Hell no," the short-haired blond man said. "She knows what would happen if she ever forgot Captain Charisma's birthday!" He gave his best friend a sly, knowing grin.
Adam smirked.
"Spare me the details or your sex life."
Jay held up his hands in mock surrender and chuckled.
"Sorry, man... Come on, let's split." He turned to retrieve his bag from his locker.
"Yeah, okay," the taller man muttered. He and Jay would be heading back to the hotel together, as Amy had announced she would be spending a little while longer here at the arena with Trish and Stacy. And boy, did it bother him. That was actually an understatement - it tore him up. But what could he do? He couldn't put his foot down and tell the redhead not to hang out with her friends. She was his wife, but he wasn't a caveman. But shit, it was their anniversary!
Adam kept silent as a stone during the ride back to the hotel as Jay drove. He sat back in the passenger's seat, his arms folded over his chest, his gaze focused on the road ahead through the windshield. He couldn't recall the last time he'd felt so glum.
"You up for a drink or two?" Jay asked as he pulled the car into the hotel's parking lot. "I know I could use one."
"Sure... Why not?" the tall blond man said. It wasn't as though Amy would be around just yet, so he might as well get a beer and unwind. Maybe it would relax him a bit.
"Cool."
As they exited the rental, Adam went around to the trunk in expectation of their bags, but his best friend waved him away. He gave Jay an odd look as the shorter man explained that they'd just get their stuff later. And after a shrug, he followed his lifelong friend into the hotel.
Adam walked alongside the other man as they made their way toward the hotel bar. Because Jay was ever so slightly ahead of him, the tall blond failed to notice the sly smile that suddenly crossed his face as they approached. And then, they entered, and all of a sudden...
"Surprise!"
The tall Canadian was instantly taken aback, shocked, and he stared around the bar. In a second, his gaze found Amy, his beautiful redheaded wife donning a brilliant smile and right at the forefront of the entire group. His eyes scanned quickly over the people present, spotting Trish, Chris Jericho and his girlfriend, Dawn Marie Psaltis, Stacy Keibler and her boyfriend John Cena, Terry Gerin and his girlfriend Lilian Garcia, Randy Orton and his fiancee Nora Greenwald, and at least a dozen others. All of these people were friends of his and Amy's. He couldn't believe it. He was struck momentarily speechless by it all.
"Happy anniversary, Adam," the redhead said softly as she strode directly to him. She took hold of his hands, giving them a loving little squeeze for a beat before he pulled her against him in a tender hug.
"Ames... Wow, this is..." He held her tightly to him for a long moment before pulling back to gaze down into her big hazel eyes. "... this is awesome, baby. You mean, all this time...? You never forgot about-"
"About our anniversary?" She made an adorable face at him that was half-pout but also quite teasing. "Not a chance! And did you ever fall for my oblivious act!"
"God, I love you," the blond man said, a grin coming to his face. He lowered his head to capture her lips in a sweet, passionate kiss, sliding one hand up to her soft hair. Afterward, he gave her a sheepish look. "I have a present for you, but it's out in the car."
"That's okay, sweetie," she crooned. She reached down to grasp his hand and gave it a tug. "Come on, let's enjoy the festivities with our friends."
Adam grinned again, his heart swelling with so much love for this woman. He felt sort of rotten for actually falling for it. How could she ever forget their anniversary?
A drink was soon set before him, and the tall blond man raised the glass high as he stood up at the table he and Amy were sharing with Jay, Trish and some others. He had to make a toast to his beautiful, wonderful wife.
"I want to make a toast," he announced, his green eyes instantly looking down at the redhead. "To Amy, who has been the most amazing wife in the world. Our life together has still only just begun, but it's been quite a terrific year so far. I love you, Ames."
The redhead flushed with love for him as all the others raised their glasses and drank. She bit her lip almost shyly as she stood up to pull him against her, her lips seeking his in an instant. Afterward, she moved her lips to his ear, her breath hot as she whispered into it.
"I want to have a baby..."
Adam stared down into her sparkling eyes, a soft smile coming to his lips. He gave her a lingering kiss on the lips before moving his own to her ear and laughed very softly before speaking.
"Well, then... we have our work cut out for us tonight, don't we?"
Amy laughed and pulled his head back down to hers for another passionate kiss.
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